Supplementing teacher knowledge using web-based Intelligent Tutoring System for the Text Structure Strategy to...

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Reading Comprehension Research
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Many fourth and fifth graders struggle with reading comprehension, particularly those scoring below the 25th percentile.
• Expository texts present unique challenges due to complex structures and vocabulary.
• Effective reading strategies, like text structure instruction, are crucial for academic success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based Intelligent Tutoring System for the Text Structure Strategy (ITSS).
• To determine if ITSS improves reading comprehension in underperforming fourth and fifth graders.
• To assess the system's impact on specific comprehension skills like identifying signaling words and summarizing.

Main Methods:

• A large-scale randomized controlled trial involving 130 fourth-grade and 130 fifth-grade classrooms.
• Students scoring below the 25th percentile on the Gray Silent Reading Test (GSRT) were targeted.
• The ITSS provided explicit instruction, practice, and feedback on text structure strategies.

Main Results:

• Fourth graders using ITSS showed small but meaningful improvements in reading comprehension.
• Fifth graders using ITSS demonstrated moderate to large effect sizes on standardized reading comprehension posttests.
• The ITSS effectively taught students to select and encode strategic memory from expository texts.

Conclusions:

• Web-based Intelligent Tutoring Systems can be effective tools for improving reading comprehension in struggling students.
• The ITSS demonstrated particular efficacy for fifth graders, suggesting potential for targeted interventions.
• Further research should explore long-term effects and adaptations for diverse learners.